One Step Too Far
by The-Ultimate-Gamez
Summary: Basically, a lot like Cars 2 but with different twists. Lightning and co. go to a new Grand Prix taking place in Europe, but is confronted by Francesco, who is back to square one with his foolish ways, but soon gets a taste of his own medicine when he takes it a step too far Written in my own way when I was 15 It didn't get much reception on dA so I decided to bring it here instead
1. One Step Too Far: Chapter One

One Step Too Far: Chapter One

" The Start of a New Adventure "

One day, one beautiful morning. The sun glazed the scorching, tacky roads and bathed the roofs of the dull shacks and hotels that stood standing on the streets of this desolate, two-star town. The birds and the bees swarmed the dry, static-filled air, doing their own duties that nature assigned to them. While this empty, barren boulevard seems so uninhabited and lifeless, somewhere, somewhere, in this silent scenery, life is stirring. The citizens of Radiator Springs...

One of those inhabitants is a rather adamant, yet mild and lenient little stock racer, who's unique and distinguished paintjob depicting a thunderbolt with flames following after, marked with the number 95 in neon green and yellow, stands out in the crowd's solid, one-coloured wear. And he goes by the famous, proud name of Lightning McQueen, former NASCAR champion. McQueen has now become one of the town's beloved neighbours, after his bide with the town's authorities for tearing on the highway, even though it was the fault of four, mysterious boys under hoods. He earned their respect by doing good to the town, especially road paving. He especially earned the trust of cute little Porsche, Sally Carerra, whom, at first, didn't take too kindly to him for his offence. But after a while, they grew closer and closer, until they finally entered a happy, loving relationship, for better or for worse. They are joined by a rather entertaining, amusing old tow truck by the name of Tow Mater, who can't seem to sit still and loves to get into all sorts and causing trouble!

On a warm, mid-summers day, back in Radiator Springs, Lightning and the other residents were in Flo's café, just casually chatting and having the drink of gasoline, and talking about how the good ol' days were when the town was black with the hundreds of tourists who came to pass by, while others stayed a while. Lightning had something on his mind. After having just participated in the scammed World Grand Prix, run by a deceiving SUV who's formula made cars's tanks explode into flames when hit with a radioactive sentry beam, he couldn't stop thinking about how difficult the world made it for him. Sally decided to interrupt his train of thought by confiding in him. "So, how did it work out for you honey? I can see it wasn't so easy? They never are easy". But before Lightning could answer back, he took a quick glance at the TV. He was about to speak, until a loud commercial came on which almost made him jump in fright. It was about another Grand Prix, but this time it was a European Grand Prix, and it takes place in specific locations of Europe only, but cars from other countries were welcome to join, if they have a race record. The races take place roughly a month from now. As everyone watched, 3 familiar announcers from the last GP began commentating.

"Boogity Boogity Boogity! WOOOO! Hello everybody!" Darrell Cartrip shouted with glee on the RSN TV channel. "Let's get ready boys and girls! The European Grand Prix tour will be comin' up in less than a week! So get geared up and ready to shred the track! This exciting scenario will be taking place on the 9th of April folks! The races will take places in the following European locations: beautiful, Bavarian Berlin in Germany, old timey Dublin in Ireland, remarkable touristic Liverpool in England and then finally the cold, artic snowscapes of Reykjavic in Iceland!. Any car can join, whether you're a teeny tiny Cooper, or a mighty Monster Truck, but the important thing is that you gotta quick 'n' slick and ready to race for 1st place! Cars from different countries outside of Europe can also join! So get plenty of rest, eat well and get into shape because I repeat, this competition will begin ONE MONTH from now. We'll be seeing YOU in Grand Prix next week...or not. Hahahahaaahahaha Goodbye folks! "

The ad switched to a Loreal commercial, as Lightning stared up at the news he just heard. Lightning drowned out all noise in the background, and was deep in his thought. He could picture himself, sliding and meandering back and forth on a windy, ribbon-y track, then a flash to where he wins the Cedes Cup, the cup that will be granted to whoever wins first place. It is a golden cup decorated with the Mercedes Ring. And since no one really won in the last GP, due to the major mishap, this granted McQueen another chance to challenge his skills ...


	2. One Step Too Far: Chapter Two

One Step Too Far: Chapter Two

"Real or No Real"

Lightning pondered and wondered. Before he could ask, he started to regard consequences. Should he really go? Would it be worth it? What if the Lemons show up and ruin everything again? What if this Grand Prix is a scam? All these possibilities swirled around in McQueen's mind before, again, he got interrupted.

"Honey? Lightning? Are you alright?" Sally asked, worrying about Lightning's staring into space. Lightning snapped back into reality. He finally paid attention and asked "I dunno...Did you see that advert? It really had me thinking" Lightning admitted. "Let me guess. That you could join that GP hmmm?" Sally guessed. "You bet!" Lightning smiled. He finally found the gumption to ask for everyone's opinion. They too, saw the ad.

"Hey guys, should I go? " McQueen suggested. After some negotiation from the other crew, Lightning got mostly positive approvals. However, Luigi, the yellow Fiat 500, was very sceptical. "Dooiiii...what if this is a scam? Run by that-a electric cheating canolii and his wonder fuel?! Oooohh Allinol is perfectly safe-a! There is no way this fuel could-a cause these cars to flamebooyyeeee!" Luigi raged. "Luigi, calm down, jeeez" Sally said, trying to appease him, but of no avail. "Well mister Miles, why don't-a you tell that to the cars who erupt into an inferno!" Luigi was subdued by Sarge getting annoyed. "WOULD YOU JUST SHUDDUP ALREADY?! He's in jail and can't get out!" Sarge bellowed. Luigi pouted and remained silent and didn't utter so much as one syllable more. Ramone interfered with the conversation, shedding some light on the mystery of the European GP.

"Ahem, gentlemen, if I may interject. This EGP is no scam! I read all about on the internet last night." Everybody focused their attention on Ramone, some looking rather baffled. "Wait! You know about this before we did?!" Guido questioned, surprised. Ramone smiled. " The Grand Prix is managed by the good samaritans at an organization called FundRacer. They arrange and coordinate locations fit for all genres of racing, whether its rallying, drag-racing, grand touring, NASCAR, you name it! And the donations they receive from the audience go to needy and orphaned cars. Does that sound like a scam to you?" he added. Everyone stared at him, then gave a relieved, convinced look to each other. Then they looked at Lightning, as if the fate of the world depended on him. "Ummmm...what's everyone looking at me for?" McQueen stammered, a little sweat drop descended down his face in a state of awkwardness.

"Can we go Lightning? Can we, can we, can we?" Guido pestered. Lightning was becoming pressured. He couldn't make up his mind. He then turned to Sally for a real opinion. Sally gazed at him and began to speak. "It's your choice sweetie. You can go if you really want to. But even if you don't, we'll still be proud of you" she spoke with a smile. This made Lightning feel less pressured, knowing that it was his choice, under the influence of no one else. But there was still one thing that held him back from saying 'yes'. It was the inclusion of his best friend, Mater...


	3. One Step Too Far: Chapter Three

One Step Too Far: Chapter Three

"Agent Zero"

McQueen finally started to open out to the crew. "I dunno guys, I am more on the decision of "yes" but..." he paused. "Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut?" questioned Guido, impatiently. "Well...it's about..Mater. I don't want him to make a massive spectacle of himself like he did the last time" Lightning confessed. "I thought you forgave him for that?" Sally reasoned. "I did, but, still...y'know, you all know what he's like" McQueen noted. Then, a rise of murmurs could be heard from the rest, some agreeing with him, while others think he deserves a second chance. "Well, if you're that unsure, talk to him about it" Sally suggested. McQueen thought again, if he could get through to Mater and come to an agreement, then there would be nothing stopping him.

"I would, but sometimes there is no getting through to him, I remember when I lo-" Just before McQueen could end the sentence, a huge crash was heard all around the area. It sounded as if a car fell out of the sky. Then, a groaning followed afterwards. In no time flat, everyone rushed outside to see what the interruption was. They turn around, and they had never seen anything like it. An unidentified, unfamiliar sleek black coupe, with a carbon fibre jetpack attached to him that had an impressive wingspan, has crashed, and is now stuck halfway out of the wall of an abandoned flat in the area. Everyone looked up at him, and he kept struggling and crying for help. McQueen immediately ran off to find Mater.

When he found him, Mater was doing his usual hobby of tipping tractors. McQueen called out to him over the fence. Mater didn't hear him. McQueen yelled louder. "MATTTEERRRRRRR!" Mater heard him the second time, then and immediately abandoned the fun he was having to see what was up with Lightning. "Hey McQueen! What'sh cracka-lackin'?" he blurted. "Mater! There's a car stuck in a wall of an apartment within your hook's reach! Only you can help! We need you to pull him out!" Lightning panicked. Mater complied and he zipped off as fast as his rusty old body and worn, frail engine could take him.

When they arrived, Mater swung his tow hook like a lasso, and tossed it up to the mystery car, where it grappled the car under his rear end. The car shrieked when he felt the hook attaching. Mater giggled like a schoolgirl, and then began to pull hard, putting huge strain on the rope. After a few heaves and ho's, the car was eventually yanked out and hauled over safely for examination. They all got a closer look at him, they find out he is a black Renault Laguna Coupe, but that doesn't fully identify him. However, just when they are about to find out about him, a huge roaring of a jet is heard, getting closer and closer. The crew look backwards and fly out of the way, barely getting run over by a large, sleek chromatic silver jet. The private jet lands, everyone safe. The crew, and the mystery car, watched and examine the jet carefully, but Mater is very familiar with him. It was Siddeley.

Siddeley's doors swung open, and a very sleek and stylish, silver-blue Aston Martin DB5, known famously as Sir Finn McMissile, disembarks the luxury jet, along with his accomplice, Holly Shiftwell, a purple feminine Jaguar XJR-15. The Aston immediately brings his attention to the klutzy Laguna. "My word, Agent Vitesse, when will you learn to straighten up and fly right?" Finn scolded. Everyone raised a brow at Finn's mention, but it sounded more like a surname. They kept listening. "If you wish to be an educated spy, you have to stop being so careless all the time!" The Laguna looked at Finn in a rather sorry, pathetic manner. "I know, I am disgrace" the Laguna sorrowed.

"Ooohhh good sir McMissile, let's not be so cold..." Everyone widened their eyes and looked back at Siddeley, but he wasn't the one who said that. The voice sounded more mature and less cockney. Finn rolled his eyes slightly. The crew kept watching, then they saw him, an agent they had NEVER seen before. He was a rich, dark navy colour and so were his eyes. He looked very smart and intelligent, and they identified him as a Vauxhall Insignia. The car slowly descended down the ramp and headed to the sulking Renault, giving him some reassurance. "It's quite alright, ol' boy. Everybody makes mistakes" he assured. Then he looked at Finn. " That's why they put erasers on pencils, heh?" he winked at Finn, who rolled his eyes at the Vauxhall's sense of humour. Finn and Holley then turned their attention towards the crowd, who were staring in surprise at the two new members. "Oh goodness, where are my manners" Finn blushed. "We're terribly sorry about your damages to this building everybody" Holly apologized. Mater suddenly stood out from the crowd. "Well hi!" he replied loudly to them. The spies recognised their old friend, who was once working with them in place of Rod Redline.

"Mater?" Holly questioned. "Huurrr yup! Itsh me!" the tow truck bounced with excitement. "Aaahhh Mater, good to see you again old chap!" Finn expressed. Sally recognised the spies too, as she recalls helping them get rid of the Lemon mob, along with a few other allies. Sally spoke up. "Ohhh! You're those spies who disbanded the Lemons! We know you! Goodness, what are you doing here?" she inquired. "Well, ever since the Lemons were disbanded, we've been having a lot of free time to ourselves. We came here for a visit, then our friend blindly crashed into one of your facilities" Finn explained, then leered at the shamefaced coupe. Sally and McQueen pitied the poor, unfortunate agent. "Well, we don't mean to be rude, good sir, but I think you should be more concerned that your friend is still even alive and not buried under 4 tons of rubble, rather than panic over a hole in a wall that can easily be repaired" Lightning asserted with a blank stare. Finn was very surprised that he was spoken to like that, as this has never happened before. Sally agreed, then she approached and opened out to the black Laguna. "Hi there little guy. What's your name? You have a name? " Sally spoke with a soft, gentle voice. The Laguna held up, then looked at her, then started to confide in her. He had a charming French brogue. "My name...is Antoine. Antoine Xavier Vitesse...but...a lot of friends call me Toni" he nervously stated to the admiring Porsche...


	4. One Step Too Far: Chapter Four

One Step Too Far: Chapter Four

"Agent Zero: The Reveal"

The Laguna finally gave his name and identity. Sally seemed very interested, but she didn't show it because she fears Lightning would get jealous. "Ohhhh okay. Don't worry about the building, no one uses it anyway, what's more important is you're okay. Is there anything we can do for you, Mr. Vitesse?" she offered. Toni didn't want to seem like a burden, so he refused politely. "Ooohh, non non non, iz okay..." he expressed, but his body clearly showed signs of great damages such as open scrapes and deep dents. "Sir, an "okay" car does not have wounds like these! You need a doctor" she insisted. Toni gave in to her help, as he actually did need to be treated, the pain was so severe. Without further ado, he was towed away by Mater to the nearest garage to be fixed. While he was, he took one last glance at Sally and McQueen, and he gave them a rather adoring look, as if to say "Thank you"

"Awwww" Sally cooed. "And you stood up for him, my hero" she gave McQueen a kiss on the cheek. McQueen blushed lightly, knowing he did good. "Ohohohho honey, not in front of CHROME" he giggled, embarrassed. Then the two focused their attention on the other new addition to the agency, the navy Insignia. "And who might you be? I've never seen you before" Lightning inquired. "Aahhh ahem yes, I apologize. I am co-administrator, James Harvey Fenderson!" he announced proudly. The crew all greeted James with all smiles and comments. "And I wouldn't say I am new, I was a part of CHROME a long time ago, but I had to leave for a while due to personal issues, but now I am back" he explained. "So, that explained why we didn't see you fight the Lemons, right?" Lightning estimated. "Sadly, yes, but fear not, fellow citizens! James is back in town!" he declared with an open smile. Everyone applauded for his return to the authority.

Lightning then remembered about the FundRacer scheme. He decided to use the opportunity to ask the spies if they have info on it. "Hey, umm...I was wondering...do any of you know such a thing called "FundRacer" ?" he requested. Holly was first to answer. "Oh! Yes, yes! Well...I do anyway. It came up as an ad while I was browsing the internet. Apparently they are an isolated organization who only has 5 branches elsewhere. They arrange locations for racing, then they rely on public donations, and those funds go to cars in need. That's all I know about it" she told. "Oh! That's exactly what Ramone told us" McQueen referred. "And if we hear the exact same thing from a spy, it can't possibly be a scam right?" he added. "Scam? Hohoh no! We did some investigation on it, and we were given crystal clear proof that it is, one hundred percent real, no sinister plots, no intentions, nothing of that kind" Holley assured. "Really? Wow! Thank you so much! This explains everything!" Lightning expressed with gratitude. "So can we go Lightning? Can we, can we, can weeee?" Guido bugged once again. "Guido, just wait please. I need to speak with Mater!" McQueen replied.

Roughly after 20 minutes, Mater finally came back. "Dadgum! Those cuts went all the way down to the core! I dun' seen shallower holes on the Moon!" Mater remarked. "Poor Toni..." Sally mumbled. James shared his pity. "Yes..oh yes, that poor little sod. He came to us a few months ago. We thought he was perfect for the job. He had everything we were looking for, except for one, distinctive flaw...He cannot control his fear of flight" James admitted, shaking his front in shame. "Because of this, he often loses all confidence and crashes frequently, like he did there a while ago" James pointed to the still existing hole in the wall of the empty flat. "Oh dear, the poor thing" Sally uttered. "But not to worry, he is a very hardy breed and always pulls through whatever life gives him. He'll be alright, I'm sure" he added, comforting Sally. "I hope" she conveyed. "Ahh wonderful...well, we best be heading off now. Vitesse will have to stay here until he is in full health again, but we can pick him up whenever he's ready" James explained. McQueen and Sally nodded, the rest of the crowd bidded farewell to the agents, as they watched Siddeley rise up over the ground and blitz off into the sky, not a flicker afterwards to be seen.

"Well, there they go" McQueen stated. And now that the spies were gone, Lightning could finally ask the question, the answer of which will depend on Mater's inclusion of the EGP as his director. "Listen umm...there is something I need to ask you, a favour rather" McQueen told. "Sure buddy, what ish it?" Mater replied, all ears. "Would you like to...to go to a..." Lightning hesitated "To go to the European Grand Prix?" he finally managed. "Huh? Where's Europe? Isn't that in Spain or shomethin'?" Mater thoughtlessly tossed out. A few of the crew could be seen with tyres over their windshields over Mater's cluelessness. "Ermm no Mater, the other way round. Europe is a continent, and Spain is a part of Europe, which I hear, is also one of the locations where one of the races will be held" McQueen stated. "Coool! Mind if I come with? I wanna see ya kick some asphault!" the tow truck cheered. Lightning still maintained his seriousness. " You can come..IF...you behave appropriately, and not to make a spectacle of yourself. I know I said I'd take you to these from now on, but on the other hand, you mustn't let me down! I'm counting on you, partner!" he explained. Mater understood, and he swore on his oath that he'd act like an educated and appropriate individual in public places. This relieved Lightning a lot more, knowing his best friend won't let him down this time...


	5. One Step Too Far: Chapter Five

One Step Too Far: Chapter Five

"Departure Day"

After having a negotiation with Mater, McQueen had nothing else to refrain him from taking part in the European Grand Prix. With that case covered, he went back to Flo's cafe to finally announce the approval. "Guys?" The crowd turned their attention to Lightning. "...Pack your bags and get ready for the summer! We're going to Europe!" McQueen declared in excitement. An uproar of cheering, whooping and singing was heard from the crew, and without any hesitation or delay, they bolted off to their cones to get their things ready for the next coming month...

It has now been hours, days, weeks, and eventually, a month leading right up to the day where the Radiator Springs crew are supposed to depart. The crew had packed all sorts of things, such as spare paint, camcorders, laptops, beach towels and accessories, and even their favourite things to sleep with, such as plushies and Snuggies. Others brought all the remaining money from their incomes as luxury spending money. Sally was rearing to go, but there was a major concern on her mind. "Sweetie, aren't we forgetting someone?" she mentioned to Lightning. "Not that I know of" McQueen replied. Sarge stood out and ordered everyone to line up to account for them.

"Alright! Everybody on the double! Get in line! MOVE!" Sarge demanded.

"Alright...if you're here, and I call your name, you say 'here'! " he instructed.

"Luigi?"

"Here!"

"Guido?"

"here!"

"Ramone?"

"S'up.."

"Flo?"

"here!"

"Tow Mater?"

"Yesh 'um!"

"Mr McQueen?"

"Yep!"

"Sally Carrera?"

"Right here sir!"

"Ughhhhh ...Fillmore?"

"Yo..."

...

"Well sir, everything seems in order" Sarge shrugged. Sally then reminded them of who the person on her mind was. "Guys!...what about Antoine?! We can't just leave poor guy here on his own!" Sally reminded them, panicking a little. "Ohhh! Oh no! You're right!" Lightning replied. However, out of the blue, a charming French brogue spoke out to them. "Ahem... Aren't you forgetting zomeone?"

The crew turned, gasped, and saw him standing there, all scars healed and in A-1 health. "Toni!" Sally exclaimed excitedly. "Wow, you look like you again!" Lightning approached him, as he knows Sally really wants him to come along. "Ehmm...Antoine, is it? Do you want to come along with us? " he invited. "Hohohoho, yes, yes of courze! Zomeone needs to look out for those Lemons, oui?" Toni smirked. "Whhoooooooooooooo! hehehe yaaay! Thank you, thank you honey!" Sally shrieked as she hugged Lightning tightly. McQueen blushed a rosy red, then he nodded at Toni, to let him know that he was very welcome in their crew, and so did everyone else.

Without further delay, Toni contacted and got in touch with Finn and Holly. He explained that the crew had no flight booked, and they were running out of time, so their only hope of reliance was CHROME. After he flipped his phone off, he nodded to let everyone know that they were about to hitch a free ride to Berlin. This settled the crew down a little. So they waited and waited. After 20 minutes of idling and twiddling their tyres, the ground beneath them started to quake. The tremor intensified as the sound of a roaring twin engine was heard in the distance coming close. The crew watched in fascination, as Siddeley, once again, hovered above them all. The gang cleared a path, as Sid slowly descended and docked onto the dry land. The gang were met once again, by Finn and Holley, and James coming out third. "Righty ho fellers, we haven't got much time! Come along now! All aboard for Berlin!" James commanded, as he directed them, one by one, onto the jet. Toni decided to occupy Lightning and Sally, rather than join first class with the other agents. He seated himself behind the said two cars, but he didn't make any hint of communication.

Suddenly, the engines whirred, then they blared. Siddeley began to race down the desolate road. As he slowly gained fantastic speed, his landing gear retracted, his wing flaps deployed. And soon enough, he began to rise nose-first into the static, dusty atmosphere. He took off at such velocity that nearly everybody sunk deep into their chairs, some of them even being swallowed up by their seats. Lightning and Sally held each other's tyres for support. Guido and Luigi were clinging to the back of the seats in front of them in great fear. Mater could hardly contain his excitement. He was fantasizing about who would turn up to give the other racers a hard time. It then struck his mind, of a certain someone who gave Lightning a lot of spiel in the last GP. But for once, he decided to keep it to himself until the end of the flight, because Lightning was fast asleep...


	6. One Step Too Far: Chapter Six

One Step Too Far: Chapter Six

"The Boys are Back in Town!"

It has been nearly two and a half hours since the departure of the RS gang from Arizona. It's a long way to go to get from Western USA to Germany. Most of the crew were fast asleep, as the sheer boredom from the excursion eventually sent them dreaming sweet and savoury images. McQueen himself was in a deep trance. He could see himself, once again, swerving, meandering, drifting, shredding the track into dust and mud which flew in the faces of other contestants. He crossed the finish line. The audience went hysterical over McQueen's victory, and streamers radiated out from the speaker systems as they boomed with the voice over car announcing who was left to cross the line. Lightning next pictured the award ceremony. He saw himself, standing triumphant on the podium, with a crown on his roof, and the Cedes Cup beside him, and on the 2nd place, a familiar rival of his, and a former member of the World Grand Prix, who congratulated McQueen on behalf of his success. Then...on the 3rd position, he saw a car, a racer that he had never ever seen or met on his life. He looked almost, if not, identical to the racer on the 2nd podium. The only difference was that this car, was orange instead of red, had a lighter shade of green, and his sides were adorned with little green flowers that resembled clovers or shamrocks, on solid white. Could he be a possible rival? Or was McQueen just imagining it?

Lightning suddenly snapped awake, as Siddeley came to an abrupt stop to the Berlin airport. "You have arrived in Berlin. Thank you for flying with Siddeley!" said the jet, with a wink. "Dang...who was THAT?" Lightning groggily asked to himself. "Hey Stickers, it's not bed time yet!" Sally giggled. McQueen tried to focus back into reality again. "Ohh Sally, I saw someone in my dream who I never saw before" he explained. "He looked like...like...li-" McQueen was cut off by James telling everyone to step out. "Right lads, this is your stop! Please exit calmly, don't all fly out at once" James chuckled. One by one, the gang disembarked off the plane as James instructed them to do. They all lined up outside, everyone present. "Okay fellas, unfortunately, we can't stick around due to issues that require our aid. So Agent Vitesse will stay and lead you to the meeting place. I trust you will keep everything in order, Vitesse? We're counting on you!" James called to them. He smiled at Toni, placing his trust in him. Without further ado, Siddeley took off once again. They watched him, going, going, gone...

Feeling a little betrayed that he has to do this on his own, Toni faced the group. He was shaking violently as he met their glassy stares. Lightning could see this, so he decided to help him ease up a bit more by leading the group through the airport instead. "C'mon guys! Follow me!" he insisted. "You? But-a James said follow Antonie?" Luigi answered. "Yeah well Antoine can lead us the REST of the way, at the meeting club" Lightning replied. Toni breathed a sigh of relief, he thanked Lightning in his mind for taking the responsibility for a bit. He stayed behind at the back of the crew.

Lightning guided all cars through the gate and into the port. As they all crossed the 5-mile long halls and treadmills, cars tourists from all corners of the world occupied the airport. They kept going until they reached the security. The guard, a silver Mercedes G, inspected their passports and ID's until it came to Mater, who was frantically looking for his, but couldn't find it anywhere. The G raised an eyebrow as the tow truck reached his hook in all possible places to put a passport. "Nope! Nope! Nu uh! Dayum!" he panicked, throwing everything made out of paper he had, out. Lightning looked back, and could see the tiff his friend was in. Mater was already starting to worry McQueen."Monsieur, I believe this is yours, oui?" Toni tugged on Mater's tow hook, then showed him two passports, one of which belonged to the said hillbilly. "Whoahh wew thanksh buddeh! " Mater thanked. He showed the Mercedes the passport. The guard finally let him through and so everyone got going again.

They eventually reached the "Arrivals" gate. Before everyone could go through the door leading the exit, McQueen made an announcement. "Hang on! You've been on a plane for 6 hours! People, if there's anyone here who NEEDS to go to the restroom, please do so now so we're not stopping off halfway!" Taking his advice, everybody bolted off to the nearest bathroom, for men and women appropriately, leaving dust cloud forms of themselves behind. They came back 5 minutes later, all relieved. "We good?..Alrighty..." As the crew approached, the exit doors slid open for the star race car and his pitties following him in single file. Lightning stopped abruptly. It was now time for Antoine to take the lead...


	7. One Step Too Far: Chapter Seven

One Step Too Far: Chapter Seven

"Fast-Lantis"

With Lightning having successfully navigated through the airport, the buck was passed on to Toni. "Ok, it's your turn. You need to locate that club for us, then guide us there. Can you handle that?" Lightning explained. Toni looked a bit unsure, but he agreed to try. With his winged jetpack now fixed, he pressed a button, which activated it. Two, very impressive carbon fibre wings shot out from either side of the pack. A pair of two more engines were on the wings themselves, they greatly resembled Siddeley's wings. A few of the gang murmured and admired the wingspan and the thrust power. Almost immediately, Toni gave a running start. He ran, he raced, he jumped...and then, Whoooosh! He rocketed off into the darkening sky, were it was getting late. "Dodge speed lil buddeh..." Mater waved his tow hook at what remained in sight. Lightning prayed that nothing bad would happen to Toni and that he'd get back here soon enough. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a familiar voice belted out at them.

"HEYYY!"

They all jumped. The crew turned around at what greeted them in such a manner. Much to their shock, there was a familiar Chevrolet Monte Carlo standing there. They stared at him. "Eeeeeyyyy I'm good lookin' right? Y'all can stand there and take good loooooong look, for days if you like..." the Chevy sarcastically remarked. "I...how...Ohhhh man!" Lightning held his tyre to his face. "It's-a DARRELL!" Luigi joyed. The group gathered around Darrell. "We thought we were on our own!" Guido admitted. "HEH?! Oooooohh no no no! Didja honestly think we'd expect you to wander aimlessly around this country till ya found us?" Darrell laughed. "Ummm...Darrell, it's great that you found us 5 seconds later and all but...we've just sent someone to go look for YOU" Lightning explained. He then went on to explain that the one they sent was incapable of flight control.

"Somebody call him back!" Sally demanded, getting very worked up. "Madam, with all due respect here, I'm sure he'd be halfway across by now don'tcha think? There's just no point in sending him back here just so he can go back AGAIN with us. It's just common sense. He can meet us at the hotel.." Darrell stated, trying to calm Sally. The gang gave a questioning "Huh!?" when Darrell mentioned a 'hotel'. "Hotel? What hotel? Your announcement said we'd be in a meeting club" Lightning questioned. "Yes we did. We said you'd be MEETING in the club, just like everyone else who came along, I didn't say you were campin' down and sleeping there for the next two days!" Darrell chuckled. He then took Lightning's membership card, which was needed and given to participants of the EGP, and showed him the bit he missed out on the brochure part of it. "Look, there it is, in plain black and white, all EGP members will receive free accommodation in one of Berlin's biggest, 5 star resorts, the Wilde Ride Hotel! Here at The Wilde Ride Hotel, we provide lots and lots of facilities and activities such as swimming pools, restaurants, bars, 1st class luxury services and rooms, a spa, a leisure centre, a football pitch and a tennis court and a lovely back garden with a playground to keep your young ones occupied!" Participant MUST have their membership card!" he pointed out with a smile.

Lightning was at loss for words, and his friends were simply speechless. "Holy Chrysler! How did I miss that?!" McQueen gleamed. "Well what are y'all waitin' for? Get your best tyre rubber on! It's time you folks started livin' the high life!" Darrell beamed. The crew cheered, they simply couldn't possibly get any happier than this. They all thanked Darrell, and Luigi especially by giving a kiss on either side of Darrell's cheeks. "Aye aye aye" Darrell grumbled, a little embarrassed. He then began to direct the crew onto an escort bus, which he generously paid the tickets for all by himself. The bus started to advance, and take off from its station at the airport. After roughly 10 minutes, the bus came to a stop at the nearest rest. Everybody disembarked the coach and onto the road again. When the crew stepped out into the city sprawl, they were completely overwhelmed by the breath-taking night life. The motorway roads were diluted with a magical, glorious chorus of golden lamps, the whole city sprung into life as one by one, the buildings illuminated with all sorts of possible colours, and the houses on the lower land dotted the black background, twinkling like stars shining in the night sky.

"Wooooowww, it's so beautiful!" Flo commented. "Yup! Here in Berlin, it is one of the most abundant in tourist countries of the world! Although a lot of folks just come here for the booze and sausages" Darrell replied. The group eventually got to a very large, tall, upscale ornate hotel, who's radiance outshone them all. "Here we are folks! This is our stop! Go ahead have fun, everyone else is inside waitin' for ya!" Darrell coaxed. Half of the crew could barely contain their sanity. It was the fanciest, biggest hotel they had ever laid eyes on. They suddenly felt as if they had become the apple of the eye of Berlin. As they moved a tread closer, the door was suddenly blocked off by the hotel's security guard, this time, a big, bulky Hummer H2. Of course, they were highly intimidated by his beastly appearance. Darrell passed by and winked at the crew. The Hummer stood by the side and let him in.

"Mmmhmmm, can I see some I.D sir?" he gruffly asked. Lightning slipped out a small card along with a larger one, he handed it to the guard for inspection. "Alright let's have a look see here...uhhh-huh...ye-wait a minuuute!" he sceptically questioned, raising an eyebrow. Sweat waterfalled from McQueen's forehead, he looked the monstrous SUV, now extremely uneasy and nervous. The Hummer stared for a few seconds before realizing who it was, standing in front of him. "You're Lightning McQueen aren't ya? Oh sorry, I didn't even recognise ya! My wife and I are huge fans of your cult!" he guffawed. McQueen was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, so he handed the guard the membership card. The guard inspected it, and they were finally allowed through the gate...


	8. One Step Too Far: Chapter Eight

One Step Too Far: Chapter Eight

"From Jags to Riches"

The crew were given the all-clear to join one of Germany's finest hotel lobbies. They looked inside. And they saw what seemed to them, a replica of Buckingham Palace. The place was draped with luxurious red and blue robes, marble walls and pillars, and a glass dome on the roof of the building. It even had an ice statue of the hotel's manager, who appeared to resemble a Jaguar S-Type car. The higher class occupied the rooms at the top, while all the lower casuals remained and inhabited the simpler dorms. The gang took in the beauty, the flair, and the elegance for a good few minutes, before they couldn't wait a second longer. However, just as they were about to set tyre on the velvet carpet inside, a voice called out to them. "Eeyyy HEYYEYYYY! WAIT FOR MEEEEE!" The crew jumped back and saw their friend, Toni, dashing up to them, but he was immediately blocked off by the guard. The Laguna kept going and crashed into the Hummer, but the said vehicle's large frame deflected the tackle, sending Toni back a few feet.

"What the hell's going on here?" the guard demanded. Sally instantly came to Toni's rescue. "Sir, that car is with us, actually. We sent him here because Darrell was late, looking for us. Please let him in?" Sally pleaded. The H2 complied, and he let Toni back in, but not before reprimanding him with a warning. "I'm watching you, Lightyear..." the Hummer growled. Toni whimpered when he heard the guard's stone cold speech. He slowly approached the crew. "Soooo ummm...how...how was the...flight?" Sally anxiously questioned. Toni didn't say anything. Scratches and dents were visible all over his body, and his left eye had a bad scrape. "Well...at least we know it'ssss...not getting any worse?" Sally gave a light giggle. Toni just stood there, a humourless, severe look crossed his face. Then, this look turned into a rather melancholy expression. He didn't say anything more, and he just wheeled away to the receptionist to get a key to his room.

"Oh dear, we seem to have upset him" McQueen spoke. "If we had waited for Darrell, this probably wouldn't have happened" Ramone guessed. "Well ummm...I'll go and speak with him later, why don't we sign in first though, then take a look around" Sally suggested. They agreed to let Sally sort it out. The crew made their way across the floor to the reception. Lightning registered first. " Guten Abend Sir. Was möchten Sie tun?" (Good Evening Sir. What would you like to do?) the receptionist inquired. McQueen gave a wide-eyed stare at her, but then he gave her the EGP membership card. "Ehmmm...Is it possible to book a room with a view, or a balcony? Somewhere on the 3rd floor maybe?" he explained. The receptionist viewed the card. "Oooooohh you are Lightning McQueen! You knowv I say you are the 13th or 14th racer that passed through here!" she smiled, recognizing his title. "What the? 14th? Hello? Man who escaped?" Lightning thought. But he smiled back to her, nodded and received the key to his dorm on the 3rd floor. He took the elevator to the second highest floor aforementioned, and located the door with the number "B-326" on it. McQueen slotted the key in the door. It opened up to a very dainty, well-maintained room that had all the features of a near 1st class accommodation, and as Lightning required, an open balcony overlooking the wondrous contrast of the quiet, sleepy countryside, and the energetic and luminous cityscape.

As McQueen got unpacking his equipment, Sally took the elevator to the very top floor, the A-Class, which was the highest order. But she didn't book a room up here. She was looking for Antoine. When the mentioned agent was signing in, she grasped the number "A-113" when the reception gave him the key. She eventually found it. She was about to knock, when something suddenly caught and redirected her attention. From out the corner of her eye, she spotted a fin. A tailfin belonging to a certain racer. And that fin was peeking out of the side of the wall. Sally kept a watchful eye on the piece, but it then disappeared shortly behind the wall. She could then, only think of one person who came to anyone's mind. Sally turned back to the door to knock, only to shriek at the sudden appearance of Toni standing in front of her. He still had the dents and bruises, but he was clean of the dust.

"AAAAGH!" Sally leapt back a few inches. "...Can I help you, madame?" Toni questioned. "Erhmmm...more like I came to ...help you" Sally blushed hard. Toni was rather surprised, but he knew he couldn't reject or deny it. Sally could read him like a book. "Alright, come in" he invited her in. As she made her way in, she didn't dare touch anything. The room was absolutely splendid, top notch and exquisite. It was almost like Lightning's room, only more ornate and with better quality services such as a built in flat screen TV, a large bed that had a heating device in the sheets, and even curtains that could close and open with the click of a remote. Even though Sally decided the room was far too posh for her casual tyres, Toni made her feel very welcome. He offered her a place on his bed so that they could talk. Both cars made themselves comfortable, then Sally began conversing.

"Toni...me and Lightning, we would like to apologize for sending you away that time. It's all our fault. We had NO idea Darrell would turn up to escort us here. And I guess James had no clue either...It was all a mistake...Will you forgive us?" Sally confessed. Toni was delighted to hear this, but this was not why he was upset. "Oooh...I see...but...you don't need to apologize, madame" he smiled. "Then...why were you so upset?" she asked, a little confused. "...I cannot fly. No matter how hard I concentrate, I ALWAYS end up on ze ground, like a fallen leaf... " he put his tyres to his face and sighed. "James is counting on me. He is ze only one who believes in me...and Finn thinks I never do anyting right...Zhey always expect me to fail...Iz just not fair!" he sobbed. Sally couldn't bear to see a gentle soul suffer so much, so she opened out to him for a cuddle. "Awwwww...come here sweetie. There, there..." she soothed, as she proceeded to stroke him across the roof. Toni loved how warm and soft she felt, and he hugged back tightly. "I like you Toni, and no matter what, you'll always be a success in my eyes, just like my darling Lightning" Sally comforted. Toni eventually came around. He dried his tears and thanked Sally a lot for her company, that he really needed. "Well, I probably should get back to Stickers. Or else he'll assume the out-of-the-ordinary will happen" Sally chuckled. "Merci beaucoup for your kind words, madame. I...I will try harder" Toni claimed. Afterwards, Sally shut the door gently behind her. She proceeded to take the lift back down to her own room, which was on the same floor as Lightning, and a few others of the crew, while the rest where on floors C and D. As she came and got comfy on her rest, there was a knock on the door. "Enter!" she called. The door opened, and Lightning wheeled in, really curious about her little talk with Toni...


	9. One Step Too Far: Chapter Nine

One Step Too Far: Chapter Nine

"On Cloud Nein"

"So, how did it go?" Lightning inquired. "Hmmm...it turns out you and me were not at fault. Toni was upset because of how badly treated he was by Finn and Holley. He said they always expect him to screw up because he can't control his flight fear" Sally explained. "Oh dear, the poor guy. Man, we have to set things straight with McMissile" Lightning insisted. "Yes, but later on, when we can talk properly face to face with them" Sally suggested. McQueen nodded, and decided to leave Sally gets some rest, but not before the Porsche herself stopped him for a moment.

"Lightning wait!" she exclaimed. The stock car stopped briefly. "What?" he wondered. "There um...I must warn you that...I think you-know-who is lurking around here somewhere..." Sally warned. Lightning's eyes grew wide, and he felt a hurricane of dread and despair swirl around him. "...Ohhh no..." he groaned. "Not HIM...Not...Francesco! Anyone but him!" he complained. "Now now, do not panic...I did see a fin, but what are the chances it could be someone else? Possibly a new racer?" Sally reasoned. "Please be a new racer...PLEASE be a new racer!" Lightning worried. "I'm sure he won't be as bold to you again this time round..." Sally convinced. "Dodge help me if I run into that braggart again..." Lightning moaned as he left Sally's room. Sally tried to remember what the piece of spoiler looked like. But all she could recall, was that it was green.

Lightning took the lift to the ground floor, to where all the facilities where located. He made it his business to try and relax, and not think about the certain someone. So he decided to see what the services the hotel provided where like. He first entered the bar, which also served as a casino. Ramone could be seen hosting a roulette. "No more bets!" he called as he spun the wheel. The ball bounced and racketed, then eventually settling in to one of the slots as the wheel slowed down. "No. 29 on red!" he announced. "Wooohooo! I won b*tches!" shouted a punk Beetle, while everyone else sighed in disappointment as he helped himself to a smorgasbord of poker chips and cash. Lightning stopped observing, and continued down the aisle past the snooker tables and the arcade machines. He helped himself to a seat to the drink serve. The bartender came to him. "Hallo! Vwhat can vwe get for you?" he asked. "Ummm...just hit me with a glass of your best cider please" Lightning requested. In no time flat, the barkeeper served him a glass of traditional, hard, powerful cider. Lightning tipped the barkeep, and was taking a light sip until he heard a familiar voice behind him, a harsh German dialect.

"Easy vwith zthat. Zthat cider vwill open up an explosive 'Oh Mein Gott!' on you..." the voice warned. McQueen almost dropped his glass. He turned around to see an old friend and a former rival from the World Grand Prix; Max Schnell. "Woahhh...Max! Good to see you again! " Lightning responded. Max managed a small smile. He seated himself next to McQueen. "Goodness gracious! I haven't seen you for months! How are you these days? " McQueen quizzed him. "Ohoho, vwell, you know, just the daily, la-dee-la stuffv. I came here because I vwas so BORED!" Both cars were in fits of laughter. "Oh tell me about it!" McQueen laughed as he took another sip of his beverage. "So...is everyone from the WGP here?" he then questioned. "Oh, vwell, ja, pretty much...but fvor some reason, they don't vwant to be seen..." Max explained. Lightning was now very suspicious. He wondered. Why would everyone hide? Was there somebody or something in this hotel that caused them to behave in such a manner?

"So...if everyone doesn't want to be seen, how come you revealed yourself?" Lightning asked. "Vwell...the others...they are hiding...from someone. They do not vwant to deal vwith him. I only came out because the coast vwas clear, if you know vwhat I mean..." Max explained. McQueen knew EXACTLY who Max was on about. This made him even more apprehensive and uneasy, to think that this particular someone made others feel too intimidated to even come out from where they were. "Ohh man, don't tell me he got worse?" Lightning moaned. "Ja! I vwas one of the unfortunate ones...he made fun of me..." Max angrily complained. "Francesco is pretty much taboo among others, so...if you ever meet another one of us, do NOT mention him!" Max advised. McQueen nodded and abided by Max's advice. "Ohhh I see...well, I'm gonna skedaddle now, I guess I'll catch you later...or not or whatever..." Lightning uttered. "Ja, Auf Weidersehen" Max waved goodbye as McQueen backed out of the pub, but suddenly..

"BONK!*

"Oowwww! Hey buddy didn't your mother teach you to watch where you're goi-AGGHH!" Lightning immediately scurried back, and so did the person he bumped into. Then, Lightning took a good glance before he realized who was before him. He had a round, plump body shape, fit for mudsports, and his paint job was frayed and tattered, like paint flaking off. He had the bold letters "GRC" imprinted on either side, and on his bonnet in a darker shade of blue, over a lighter hue. The other car recovered from the accident. "Ohhhhhhh! Gosh! I am so sorry...Raoul!" Lightning panicked. "McQueen? Ahhhh bonjour! Please don't be zorry! It is a marvel to see you here!" Raoul beamed. "Ehhh, it's good to have you back buddy! I take it you're in this one too huh?" Lightning guessed. "Hohohoho oui oui! Everyone is here, AND...we even have a few newbies!" Raoul giggled. Lightning was a bit amazed that there were new participants. He had yet to meet at least one of them. "New racers? Who are they?" Lightning questioned, very curious. "Hohohoho, I will not say, zat is for you to find out. BUT, I hint; One of zem...looks like you-know-who..." Raoul whispered. Then he winked, and soon disappeared into the dark lighting of the casino to join Max.

Lightning was left alone with that image in his mind. Then he remembered Sally telling him about the hint she saw of the certain someone, and how she said it could've been a new racer. This put Lightning's mind at ease a little, but now he realized that the odds of bumping into the one troubling everyone, or the new member, were 2 to 1. McQueen decided to put the thought to the back of his mind for now. There was too much to do in the hotel, no time for worrying about who will show up. With that, McQueen decided to see what else the hotel had in store. As he wandered around through the corridor, he came across a large open door, and up at the top, it had a sign saying "Spa and Leisure Centre" McQueen's curiosity got the better of him. He chanced and headed on in. When he went in, it was all steamy and hot, and he could hardly see anything with so much vapour around. He wiped his eyes with his windshield-wiper. Most of the cars there were mainly sports cars and luxury sedans. Most of them were buffed up. As he rolled down the hall past to were the car-washes were, he could see a wide variety of services such as facials, mud baths, ice showers, steam rooms, saunas, a solarium and loads of massage techniques for nearly all parts of the body. "Wow...man Toni could sure put this to good use" McQueen murmured to himself.

However, as he peeked around the corner, and much to his amazement, he saw the said Laguna getting a roof massage from one of the servants, and his motor could be heard purring contently. "I say, you're carrying quite a lot of tension and stress Mr Vitesse" remarked the British female assistant. "Mmmm...iz going...I never felt so at rest..." Toni groaned. "Hahahaha, wow!" Lightning giggled to himself. He quickly disappeared out of sight. He decided to wait until Toni was finished with his massage. To pass the time, he decided to help himself to a nice warm shower. Being clean was vital for him.

So he went back to where the car washes were, which were located near the indoor swimming pool. He passed through entrance of one of them, then he looked at the controls, which even had the option of what shampoo to choose from. "Wow, these are very sophisticated people!" McQueen thought. But he went with it, he selected his choice, and pressed 'Start'. Suddenly, a flush of nice, hot water came at him from all sides, even on his underside, which tickled and made him laugh and giggle a bit. He was then squirted and dolloped with the shampoo that he chose. He closed his eyes to prevent the shampoo getting into his eyes. Then came the brushing part, except the "brushes" used here were nothing more than spongy strands hanging off a fast, rotating pole. They were certainly a lot more comfortable than those brittle, plastic strands that a normal car wash had. Again, like the water and the soap, they cleaned him from all angles. Lightning was being tickled by the brushes so much that he couldn't contain his laughter any longer. He suddenly started laughing loudly, but nobody in the spa really cared, they just continued to do their own thing. Lightning's laughter ended when the cycle was over. "Wheeeeeeww..." he sighed, his sides hurting from the fit.

The minute he stepped out of the wash however, he was met, yet again, by the sudden appearing of Toni. "DAGGHH! My Dodge, will you stop doing that?" McQueen grumbled. "Oooh zorry...maybe I jump out of nowhere in future" Toni giggled. "...On second thought, stick with the first one" Lightning replied. The two cars drove together back through plaza. Then, Lightning suddenly thought of a brilliant plan. A plan that could help him find the others, and find out once and for all what is bothering them...


	10. One Step Too Far: Chapter Ten

One Step Too Far: Chapter Ten

"Mission Impassable"

"Say, Toni, I was wondering...I umm..." Lightning muttered, as he kept strolling with the agent. "Surprise me" Toni answered. "I..don't know if this will come as a shock to you but...I have a proposition, a favour. I hope it won't be too much of a hassle" Lightning quested. Toni was suddenly very interested. "I'm listening..." he replied. The two cars stopped at where they were at. Lightning then reached into his satchel, and he pulled 11 photos out, each of them being an individual picture of all the racers of the World Grand Prix. He then handed them to Toni. "Ok, listen up. See this one? " Lightning pointed to Max Schnell's photo. "This one, told me that all the others are hiding away somewhere because of this guy" McQueen then pointed to a photo of an Italian Ferrari F1 who's colour scheme took after the Italian flag. "That's Francesco Bernoulli. He's been very mean lately to the rest of the group. Because of him, Schnell told me that they are now hiding away because they say he is lurking around here somewhere, and they don't want anything else to do with him..." he described. "The point is, if you CAN, try and find those cars, and tell them that Lightning sent you. Tell them to meet me outside on the porch area. There, I can try and convince them to come out from hiding. Think you can handle it?" McQueen requested.

"Well, at least it doesn't involve flying...hmmm..." Toni finally agreed. "Ma, okay monsieur, I will find your friends. I will be as quick as possible" he assured. "Thanks Toni! Good luck!" Lightning thanked him. Toni ran off ahead of Lightning and started to look around on floor D first. However, shortly after he sent Toni to hound them down, a loud blaring voice on a speaker echoed from the Karaoke room. Lightning curiously followed the booming. And he heard along the lines of "Give it up for Gearsley and Hamilton!"

"Hello?! This is 'in hiding'?!" Lightning questioned in disbelief. He slunk around the corner till there was a huge glass window, which people could watch the karaoke from up here. Lightning made himself one of those watchers. He observed from the pane. And right there on that stage, was Nigel Gearsley, singing the song "Heat Dies Down" by the Kaiser Chiefs, and Lewis was adjacent to him, helping. Nigel was wearing large grey headphones and a red and orange electric guitar tied around him, which was mainly just for show, but every now and again, Nigel would strum the guitar which would excite the audience and cheer him on further, while Lewis was seen occupying a drum set, but again, it was just to help create the atmosphere normally seen at a rock concert. Lightning continued to pay attention to Nigel yelling the rhymes and lyrics, whilst pretending to play the rock guitar, and jumping up and down on the stage to the beat. After the stage cars were finished, a huge ruckus of cheers and cries of astonishment and admiration erupted from the crowd. As the duo made their way off stage, a good bundle of the fans asked for their autographs and signatures, some even fainted when one patch of them touched against the duo. Even McQueen found himself clapping a little. "Wow, they're GOOD" he commented.

Nigel and Lewis exited the room, and were instantly greeted by Lightning. "Oh hello?!" Nigel greeted in shock. "Woah man, you just came out of nowhere didn't you? How's it goin' man? I ain't seen you 'round since the WGP." Lewis asked McQueen. "It's a long story. I take it you two are here for the EGP?" McQueen replied. "Ohh yeah, it's gonna be a riot!" Nigel remarked. "You saw us right?" Lewis questioned, a little bit embarrassed. "Yes I did, guys that was amazing! Out of this world! They certainly went insane over you two" McQueen commented. "Ohhhh! Thanks!" they smiled. And while they were sharing conversation, McQueen sought the opportunity to ask.

"Hey guys...have any of you seen the rest of the WGP's?" he questioned. Lewis tried to remember where he saw at least two others last. "Hmmmm...Have you checked the spa and leisure centre?" Lewis suggested. "Awww darn I was just there!" McQueen told. "Well, check again. Check the leisure centre too. Cuz if I know Miguel, he'll either be in the solarium or the sauna, and Rip in the swimming pool" Lewis insisted.

"Great! Thanks guys!" Lightning rushed off in the opposite direction, back down to the spa again. It was still very misty, but not as much now. And sure enough, the first thing he did was examine the 5 solarium rooms, but there was no sign of Camino in any of them. So he then went on to the saunas. Soon enough, he came to the last one, peeked in through the window, even though it was very foggy, and could make out the gist of a yellow and red Ginetta-resembling supercar. That car was getting ready to leave the sauna, so McQueen stood back a bit. The door opened.

"WELCOME!" Lightning declared to him. The car got a massive fright and flipped over onto his roof with a loud *THUD!* "AAHH! Ayundame! Ayundame!" he hollered. "Ohhh darn sorry! Umm...ermmm...you there! Can you give us a helping tyre over here?" Lightning panicked, as he called out to a big BMW X5. The SUV nodded. He placed his front tyres under Camino's roof, and he sent Miguel spinning in the air very briefly before the racer landed perfectly on his wheels. "Owowowowowww...I have un headache..." Camino groaned. Lightning was very impressed. He thanked the BMW so much, then tried to get Miguel to focus. "Ooooooohhh...whoever did this, I going to tear them a...McQueen?!" Miguel exclaimed. "Dude I am so sorry! I totally didn't expect that to happen!" Lightning tried to explain. "...Aaaahhh! So glad you could make it, mi amigo!" Camino expressed, hugging McQueen tightly. "Ooof! Yes Miguel I'm here! Oww..Easy, easy!" Lightning pained. "Hah...umm perdona" Miguel apologized, letting go. "It's alright. And damn it's been such a long time! I take it you're in this GP too huh?" McQueen commented, trying to change topic. "Ehhhy, of course, amigo! Wouldn't be here otherwise!" Camino chuckled. "And I take it you are looking for the rest, si? " Miguel guessed. "How did you know?" McQueen questioned. "Well...I saw you, and I saw this other chico with you, and you told him to go look for us" Miguel admitted. "Ohhh! Hahaha! You did? Umm yeah that's uhhh...that's nobody...just a friend" Lightning tried to convince him. "Ohh, bien. Well, if you want to find the next one of us, look at the indoor pool" Miguel advised. The young Spaniard bid farewell for now to Lightning, and he slowly wandered off into the corridor, where Lewis and Nigel were waiting.

"Darn, if this is them "hiding" then Toni is just wasting his time.." McQueen uttered to himself. So he did the only nicest thing by taking his cellphone out and calling Toni, who trusted Lightning and Sally enough to give his number to them. The phone rang, and then stopped as the spy switched his Bluetooth on.

" 'Ello?"

"Toni, I'm so sorry to tell you, but you're wasting your time. These cars aren't hiding, I just met 5 of them down here alone. So yeah, mission aborted I'm afraid..."

"Ohhh, I see. If they weren't in hiding, why did you say zey were?"

"Because Max tricked me good. He's the one who told me so. But maybe they were hiding while he tried to look for them...So anyway, you can stop spying now, see ya later"

Lightning hung up. He felt rather foolish for wasting Toni's energy and time. But what was done, was done. And while he still remembered, he went off to search for No. 6: Clutchgoneski...


	11. One Step Too Far: Chapter Eleven

One Step Too Far: Chapter Eleven

"U Can't Clutch This!"

As Lightning travelled down through the spa, he reached the other section at the end which was the sports and leisure centre. First he went through the gym. It was rather cool and well ventilated, and had all the equipment necessary, from lift weights to treadmills. A majority of the cars looked like balloon animals made of muscle, they were that bulked up. McQueen proceeded on down to the next section, which involved ice hockey. McQueen stopped and observed for a few minutes, as the goalie shifted left and right in an unsure state of where the puck would be shot in the goal. But the whistle blew when the one of goalie's team purposely tripped the offending player of the other team who was about to score, and was marked as a penalty. McQueen moved on and progressed down to where the watersports took place. And immediately, he investigated the pool area. However when he got there, it was completely empty.

"Darn it!" Lightning cussed. However, out of the blue, Lightning was joined again by Lewis and Nigel, and soon Miguel. "Is Rip there?" Lewis asked. "Guys, there's nobody here!" Lightning answered back. "What? Again?" Miguel moaned. "That dude is like an eel" Lewis remarked. "What do you guys mean?" Lightning questioned. "It's plain obvious innit? He can't bloody stay in one place" Nigel complained. "We tried searching for him ourselves, but nada. Nothing" Miguel uttered. McQueen and the three cars agreed to start a search party.

So where was Rip?

The said racer had left the pool an hour before Lightning's arrival there. He was now crossing a large hallway on the opposite side of sports centre. And he too, was on a quest to look for the WGP's. He eventually came to the end, where there were two ways, one leading to the main room of the hotel, the other which opens up to the porch outside and the lovely outdoor pool. He took the second way, going outside. Rip slid open the door and wheeled outside. The outside porch and the pool are was simply breath-taking. There was palm trees and tropical fruit trees that decorated the border of the area, and there were loads of colourful lights that lined and surrounded the porch, as well as some more pretty plants and flowers. The light coming from the entrance of the hotel's door really made it stand out nicely. As Rip wandered off into the bushes, he came across the actual swimming pool, that had lights just under the surface that lit the pool up at nightime. But usually no one dares to go in at nightime because it is freezing cold.

After further exploration, he suddenly caught sight of a female, Brazilian, Le Mans-looking race car who's green and blue colours faded into each other on her body and she was decorated with glittery swirls and dots which seemed to "shine" in the dark of the night. He slowly prowled around in front of the pool and decided to stay hidden behind the leafy bushes. He blended right in. He silently pushed the large leaves aside to get a better look. However, she was not alone. Accompanying her, was another individual. His body shape greatly resembled both Rip's and Francesco's. From what Rip could make out, this racer, was Irish. His paint job was similar to Francesco's but with a few small changes. He was primarily orange or gold instead of red, his side intakes were white, dotted with little green clovers. Whatever green was on him, it was in a lighter shade with a yellowish tint, and there were emblems of a golden harp on either side of his tail fins. And the ends of his front spoiler resembled wings from a bird, they were white. He spoke in a high tone, almost up a whole octave. Rip was very curious about the car speaking to the other. However he was more captivated by the lass, and had completely forgotten and was unaware about the freezing pool of water behind him. And sure enough, he backed up and...

*SPLAAASH!*

Rip stumbled and fell rear-first into the frigid, sub-zero water. A stinging, icy sensation surged through Rip, like a jolt of electricity. He started having a major panic attack, splashing and flailing about while yelling for help. Though Rip can swim, the water was simply just far too cold for him to do so, as he could hardly feel his axles. The female race car had heard the commotion and so did the unknown racer. They both rushed over to see a young, helpless T1 flailing and struggling to keep his nose above the water. They watched in fear until finally, Rip stopped moving, and submerged fully under water."Oh no! We have to help him! SOMEBODY HELP!" the female race car cried. Suddenly, the unknown racer bolted out from behind her, and plunged straight into the icy, watery grave. The lass whimpered, as she watched what was going on beneath the surface. The mystery racer was struggling hard, running out of breath, since Rip was bigger and heavier than he was. The young lass kept watching, but after about 10 minutes, there was still no sign of the two. Dreading the worst, the lady racer layed down and cried loudly...

From the inside, meanwhile, Lightning and Miguel, Lewis and Nigel were desperately searching for where Rip went to. As they came near the porch outside, Lewis pricked up his wing mirrors, and caught the sound of a young woman weeping. "Guys! You hear that?!" Lewis called. The other three stopped in their tracks to have a listen. "Oh dear...trouble in paradise" Nigel rudely remarked. "C'mon!" Lightning exclaimed. He sprinted up ahead to where the two-way paths were. "Heeyyy wait up! Un momento!" Miguel yelled, dashing with them. Lightning forced open the door that lead to the pool and the tennis courts and darted out, following by where the sound was coming from. The rest followed.

The lass stopped crying, as she heard something rustle and bustle in the shrubs. It sounded like something big, and angry. She fled quickly and hid back into one of the many trees. From there, she observed and kept silent. Shortly, the 4 racers burst out of the bushes, as if there was a bomb about to detonate. Then they began looking all around. But they couldn't see anything. They did not notice the lass behind the trees. "Lewis! There's nobody 'ere!" Nigel stated. However, when they were least expecting it, a huge splash exploded from the pool. They all shrieked, as if they saw something paranormal going on.

"AAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT IS THAT?!"

They began to panic, and dart back and forth. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm go-WOAAH!" *THUD!* Nigel yelped as one of his back tyres caught on a hosepipe and he collapsed to the ground. But soon, the mysterious racer, along with an unconcious Rip, slowly clambered and squirmed his way out of the pool, with great difficulty. The cars stopped panicking and starts watching in horror. "A little help here?!" he gasped. Just when Lightning was about to help him, the female in hiding dashed past them, almost knocking McQueen over. The girl helped the anonymous lad out of the pool, and they both carried Rip over to the porch light so they could see what they were doing. When the 4 other cars saw them more clearly under the light, they could not believe it. They found Rip...and Carla...


	12. One Step Too Far: Chapter Twelve

One Step Too Far: Chapter Twelve

"Das Booze"

"Ohhh no! No no no no! Please no! This can't happen!" Lightning cried out. Carla began to weep again as the lifeless body lay still in front of them. The 4 members rushed over to them. "Is he? Is he? ..." Miguel stammered. Nigel proceeded to poke Rip with a stick. "Stop that!" Lewis scolded, slapping the stick away. The anonymous individual approached them. They saw his figure, but they couldn't really see his colour because he was still hiding in the darker area. They autmotically assumed it was Bernoulli. "Francesco? You? Saved Rip?" Lightning questioned in major disbelief. The anon didn't have a clue who "Francesco" was just yet. He gulped, then suddenly blitzed away on the other side of the hotel. "Heyy wait! Wait?! Wait! WHERE ARE YOU GOIN'?" Lewis hollered. "What's up with him? Francesco would NEVER put his own life at the cost of others..." Lightning wondered. "Guys?!" Miguel impatiently pointed to the still unconcious Rip and the weeping Carla. "Oh you're right!" Lightning panicked. McQueen acted ASAP.

With all ounce of strength, Lightning flipped and managed to get Rip with his back facing the floor. "Who here knows CPR?!" Lightning inquired. "I do..." A deep, husky voice was suddenly heard in the shadows of the foliage. They all gasped and focused attention on the voice in question. "C-c-c-can you help?" McQueen stuttered, a little frightened and intimidated. The one who spoke slowly stepped out into the light of the porch. When they got a good look at him, they were all rather amazed at how big he was. "Wow, he's massive!" Nigel remarked. Miguel raced up to him. "Por favor! Please help him Señor!" he cried, shaking the big car a little in distress. The car in question smiled, and he stepped forward towards Rip. "Alright, this will only hurt a little..." the stranger assured. Suddenly he socked a full blow into Rip's underside. *POW!* Carla shrieked and so did the other four witnesses. But miraculously, Rip violently twisted back over again, and coughed out a huge flood of pool water. The rest cleared well out of the way as the water crawled in every direction on the floor. "Ohh that's nasty!" Lewis stated, putting his tyres up and turning away in disgust. Rip quickly leapt to his wheels again and let out a big, wheezing cough. Something suddenly flew up out of Rip's mouth with a jingle when it hit the floor. It was his keys.

Rip opened his eyes. His vision was very disorientated, and all he could see was blurs. He suddenly heard a vague, unclear voice softly calling to him. "Rip..." After a few seconds, the vision levelled out and so did his hearing. As it did, an image of Lightning, Nigel, Carla, Lewis, Miguel and the stranger appeared to him. He shivered and stared at them. "Rip? You okay? Digame!" Miguel cried and clapping his tyres in front of Rip, trying to get him to focus. "Huh?! What? What? Whhat!" Rip squawked, now fully concious. "Rip...he's okay...HE'S OKAY! Buenoo!" Miguel cheered. He hugged the stranger tightly. "Ohhh thank you! Muchos gracias!" The mystery car smiled down at Miguel and nodded. "My heroes.." Carla sighed dreamily. They turned their attention to Rip. Miguel then proceeded to hug Rip tightly just like he did with the stranger.

"Mi amigo, you made it! I thought you die!" he cried. Rip gave his usual, quirky smiley face as Miguel hugged him tightly, knowing that his best buddy was A-OK. "And you, Mr. Land Rover, how can we repay you? Please tell us your name" Lightning requested. But the car in question wasn't there anymore. He was gone, disappeared into the dark of the night. "Where'd he go?! Bloody hell, I mean no one disappears THAT fast..." Nigel puzzled. As they got wondering, another voice was questioning them, this time, it was familiar to them. "Oroohh! What is all this racket?" They jumped at the tone of it, but Carla recognised the voice belonging to a certain Asian master craftsman. "Shu? Is that...youuuu?" Carla guessed. The sliding door opened, the curtains fluttered. Carla came towards them. And she guessed right

The red and white Le Mans emerged from them, they trailed off as he wheeled towards them. "Oh wow..." Lightning spoke. "You are here too? You going to race with me?" Carla asked, as she touched his face with her tyre. "Hai, of course. The spirit is willing and ready for fight!" Shu expressed. "*gasp!* Yaaay! Ohh...you have company too" Carla giggled. She moved to the side to show Shu his old rivals. "K'onichiwa bro.." Lewis greeted. "Master Todoroki! It is a real pleasure seeing you here!" Lightning smiled. Shu didn't say anything. He bowed to them instead, letting them know he was happy to see them again. Before he and Carla got going, Carla wanted to thank them for helping her. "Thank you all, so much! If you didn't show up, Rip would be long gone" They all blushed. "Carla, I think the one you should thank is that Land Rover. He save Rip, not us" Miguel told. But it didn't make a difference to Carla. "I will, but you weren't not involved right?" Carla winked at them as she and Shu headed off back inside to get out of the cold.

"Ummm...so...are we the bad guys?" Nigel asked, completely clueless and confused at what Carla just said. "No Nigel, don't panic" Miguel chuckled. "Good, now let's go back in, I've got water on my bum" Nigel replied as he shook his rear a little and headed first back in through the way they came out. As the group, now accompanied by Rip, strolled through the hallway to get to the main entrance again, they heard something off in the distance to where the pub was. Something that sounded like a German song with a loud drunken slur voiceing it.

"Neunundneunzig luftballons! Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont... *Buurrrppp!* "

"Bro, that's terrible!" Lewis remarked. They all went to investigate the sound. However, they soon wished they didn't. A very intoxicated Max was now being towed out by Raoul who had both their spoilers interlocked. " Hielt man für Ufos aus dem All! Darum schickte ein General!" Max slurred. His eyes were all red, sleepy-lidded and bloodshot. A few of the group facepalmed, while Rip was trying his best not to burst out in laughter. "Hey! You...you knowwrr whah we should DO?! I am sick! ..of this world! I'm going to *hic!* live on the mooon..." Max complained. "Max...listen to youzelf, do you have any clue how ridic you sound?" Raoul questioned. "Shuh up! Go an' get me some mint sauce!" Max answered loudly. He then, much to the disgust and horror of Lightning and co, Max managed to reach a tyre underneath between his rear axles. "Ugh, this...skid pad is all twisted..." he mumbled, trying to loosen it. Nigel had enough. "Ohh pong! Just get him the hell outta here" Nigel scoffed, covering his eyes. Raoul complied and agreed to get him up to his room as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, it didn't stop there, as Max lost control. Raoul felt a warm release trickling down his rear, and started dragging Max faster, desperate to get rid of him. "Zut! And zey say ze French are disgusting?!" Raoul ranted angrily, as a long trail of oil was left on the floor. "Ooohh how embarrassing..." Miguel commented. "Aaaaand there goes Raoul's last lingering thread of respect for him..." Lewis remarked. "Alrighty... let's just pretend this never happened...oh jeez.." Lightning suggested. They all agreed, so they proceeded to find their way back to their rooms to bed down for the night, being careful of course not to drive in the puddle Max left behind...


	13. One Step Too Far: Chapter Thirteen

One Step Too Far: Chapter Thirteen

"Max-ed Out"

Shortly after Max's outrageously foolish epilogue, the racers along with Lightning proceeded to head back to wherever there rooms where located. They all split up when they got to the main entrance, which now only had a few individuals accompanying it. Lightning proceeded to take the lift back up to B-326, he insterted the key into the lock and swung open the door, then he entered. He immediately went over to his bed, yawned and stretched, then flopped down onto it. He didn't bother to eat, even though he was starving. He couldn't. He was too tired and troubled to do so. McQueen tried very hard not to replay the whole scene in his head. He suffered enough with Rip and dashing back and forth trying to find everyone. His eyelids grew heavy, he couldn't keep them up any longer, he closed his eyes and was soon out cold.

Unfortunately, Max's room was also on the same floor, one away from the left. Raoul finally managed to drag Max all the way up to the floor from down below. Max, as expected, was also fast asleep. Lightning soon woke up to the sound of Raoul mumbling and yawning, and towing Max back into his dorm. McQueen was all ears, he didn't make a sound to listen what was going on. Raoul opened the door with Max's keys and tugged him inside, grunting and heaving as he did. Raoul didn't have the energy to haul him up onto the bed, and he didn't want to wake the rest up, so he just left Max on the floor and he drew the blanket from his bed over him. Raoul sighed, wiped his fore-roof in relief and exhaustion and headed back out, leaving Max's keys on the inside in the keyhole. Raoul then left to go down to the 2nd floor where his room was. Afterwards, all was quiet in the hotel lobby...

...

The following morning, it was a beautiful day. It was unusually sunny for Berlin. The sun was hot enough to split rocks. Everybody was up, except for Max and McQueen, who were sleeping in. Everybody was in the cafe for their much deserved breakfast. While there, they were conversing about Schnell's performance last night. "Poor guy, Dodge bless him" Lewis sighed. "I know wasted, and THAT..is wasted" Miguel remarked, shaking his hood in shame. "Yeah, what a fantastic example to give to the kiddies eh? What's the point of telling 'em not to drink and drive?" Nigel grumbled. Raoul was especially disgruntled. "...he pee on me" Raoul spoke, with a blank stare. Mater, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, could not believe what he heard. He felt like he struck golden oil here. He decided to go wake Lightning up to see if this was true.

And sure enough, Lightning was rudely awoken at 12:30 PM. "Hey McQueen!" Mater blared. "AAAAIIGHH!" Lightning sprung from his bed into the air, barely tapping the cieling, then came back down with a huge *THUD!* The impact woke everyone else on the same floor. "Mater!" Lightning growled. "That's not funny!" he complained, as the tow truck was now in fits of laughter from what he just witnessed. "Paahahaahaahahaa! Oh that's good! You done should'o seen yourself there McQueen! From now on i'm gon' call that 'Lightnin' Tippin' Hehehhehe!" Mater guffawed. Lightning scowled, then he settled down a bit. "Well, now that I'm awake, would you like breakfast with me?" he asked. "Sure come on down!" Mater approved. He suddenly grabbed Lightning by a tyre with his tow hook and dragged him out of bed down the steps in a fit of excitement. "Bebebebebebebebebebeebebbebebebeee!Obobobobobbo!" Lightning babbled as he was knocked by the steps going down. Mater then towed McQueen to the cafe entrance and released him.

"Mater?! What has gotten into you? I don't scream and pull you out of bed do I?" quizzed a very irked Lightning. "Cuz I got somethin' tuh tell ya!" Mater answered back. This made Lightning's curiosity rise. "Wh-what is it?" he inquired. "...Now you tell me, is this here true, that there was some feller that ...got hammered last night?" Mater hinted. Lightning immediately clamped Mater's mouth shut in panic. "MATER! Nooo! Not out loud!" Lightning whispered. "Mrrrgle mrrrrrfff mrrvvvvf?" muffled the tow truck. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you MUST keep this to youself! Do you understand? This is very explosive!" McQueen whispered to him. Mater nodded in understanding. "Okay...Max Schnell...did get drunk last night...and he...let's just say...put on a show for us..." Lightning confessed. Mater badly wanted to laugh. He had never heard anything like this. Lightning let go of Mater's mouth. "Do NOT breath a word to anyone okay?" McQueen warned. "Okay McQueen, sure thing!" Mater promised. "Good, it will blow over in time" Lightning replied. Mater then wheeled away outside, where he let out the laugh that he was dying to release. He could be heard from inside, but not by Lightning, thankfully.

Lightning came in to join the rest of the crew. Toni, Shu and Carla where here too this time, but they arrived too late to hear about Max's shenanigans. "So ummm...how's everyone today?" he asked, trying to start a new topic. "mmmm...fine" everyone nodded. "What's everyone doing later? The races aren't until tomorrow I hear" McQueen answered. "Well, I think the most logical thing to do is...get ready for them, si?" Miguel guessed. "Ahaahaahaa nice. But surely we aren't going to spend the whole day doing that right? It's a free day, may as well make the most of it guys!" McQueen replied, as he got up to get himself his favorite food to eat for the first part of the day; rashers.

"Mmm...everyone loves bacon..." McQueen uttered to himself. "I KNOW I DO!" a voice declared. "AGH! Oh...Dodge..." Lightning yelped. He turned around to know who said that. And it turns out to be none other than the American Power, Jeff Gorvette. "I deem these bacon strips here to be DELICIOUS!" Jeff announced with a mouth full of it. "Aahh! Jeff! Good morning!" Lightning beamed. "Right back at you!" Jeff smirked, as they bumped tyre to tyre. He then proceeded to head over to where he saw everyone else. "Eehhhh, what's the fresh squeeze, Chucky Cheese?" Jeff greeted them. "Jeffery!" Lewis exclaimed. "Hey man! Welcome!" he added. "Jeff, have you met this new gentleman here?" Carla giggled, and she pointed to Toni, who blushed at her. "...who are you?" Jeff inquired, looking a little puzzled. Lightning came back over to introduce him. "Jeff, that's Toni. He's a new CHROME member, and they allowed him to look after us for a bit" Lightning explained. "Oooohhhh okay! Nice to meetcha!" Jeff smiled, shaking wheels with the spy.

Their conversation however, was soon interrupted by Max, who came down 15 minutes after, and was suffering from an atomic headache. "Ohhhhh mein Kopf!" he groaned. He could hardly drive because he was still rather drowsy and disorientated from last night. He had no memory of what happened last night after the drinking, so he seated himself next to the crew, thinking everything was normal. But they didn't say a word, some of them glared at him while Raoul shifted as far away as possible. Lightning didn't want Max questioning why they were so wary of him, so he decided to suggest a fun idea. "Hey...It's a very nice day outside y'know. Who wants to go to the beach?" he suggested, trying to take their minds off the incident...


	14. One Step Too Far: Chapter Fourteen

One Step Too Far: Chapter Fourteen

"Away and a Day Out"

After McQueen suggested going to the beach on the North, everyone seemed to be rearing to go. Rip in particular was very enthusiastic about it. He spoke for the first time. "Yeah! I'd love to go! Can we guys?" he tweeted. "Ohohoho, why not?" Raoul approved. "It'll be fun!" Miguel joyed. Max smiled, he too wanted to go, but was met by the stern looks of his friends. "Where do you think you're going, mister?" Lewis questioned him. Max's eyes widened at the tone of his voice. "W...vwhat do you mean? I..I'm coming vwith you?" Max stuttered. "Oh no you're NOT!" Raoul stated angrily. "Whaaaaaa? But vwhy not?" Max inquired, confused. "Because we said so! You zstay here and think about what you did!" Raoul commanded. The rest of the gang agreed with Raoul and nodded their hoods shamefully. "Whuh...okay, I see how it is..." Max realised. The floor darkened in tiny tear shaped drops, as Max slowly left the cafe to return to his room, very hurt and browbeaten...

"It's for his own good..." Lewis reasoned. The rest nodded again. They finished off what was left of their breakfast and proceeded up to their rooms to pack the things needed for such an outing, including towels, swimwear, sun lotion and sun caps and glasses. Once they had done the task, those who finished early were waiting outside the door. "Everyone here?" McQueen asked. They all grouped outside, nodding 'yes'. They proceeded to go down into town to the nearest bus stop. They arrived right on time for the bus to the beach. Soon, a large two-decker bus made its stop at that spot. Lightning and co. boarded after paying the fee. Sally and Lightning himself went up to the top deck together. They seated at the front where the upcoming roads and boulevards could be seen before them. "So how has this holiday been so far?" Sally asked. "Fooo...it was extraordinary!" he replied. "Everyone I met except Francesco is here, thank Dodge" he added. "Hahaha wow, sounds like you have a lot ahead of you now" Sally giggled, then she asked what he did, which made Lightning sweat a little. "Ummm...well...nothing interesting in particular, just trying to find everbody..." he replied. He didn't dare bring Max or Rip into this, as this would only worry her.

Soon, the bus stopped at the next tab. Nearly everyone boarded off except for 3 or 4 individuals. From where they were, the beach was now only 10 minutes away. The crew made their way through the smaller, sandy roads which had more exotic foliage growing out at the sides. "Wow, and this is Germany?" Jeff awed. The crew took their time to admire the northern coastal area and its natural beauty. They soon finally reached the entrance before them, and they were truly impressed. It was a beautiful, admirable scenery, bordered with golden sands and calm, deep blue waves that crashed gently onto the shore, ending in fluffy white foam. There were loads and loads of tourists here coming from all parts of the world, frolicking and playing sports, making sand sculptures and sunbathing (the girls especially) while those who could swim, were found playing in the sea. Clouds of miniature sea planes swarmed the crystaline blue sky, occasionally swooping and skimming the water surface for fish, then returning to the air. It was a paradise in front of them.

"Wooooooww..." they all gasped. "Well c'mon! Let's go already!" yelled a very excited and impatient Rip, as he ran and skipped to the entrance of the beach. He waited. "C'mon!" he teased. "Sweetie, please! Save some time for later!" Carla called to him. When they actually entered the beach, a sudden burst of sunshine met their eyes. It was so bright that they had to put sunglasses on. In no hesitation, Rip dashed onto the warm, yellow sands and immediately began to frolic around, making the most of his day out. Everybody else lowered onto the soft, silky sand and unpacked their bags, where they proceeded to do their own thing afterwards.

Lightning and Toni decided to take a look around the shops, while making casual talk on the way. "So how have things been working out for you? I hope I'm allowed to ask, but are your flight skills improving?" Lightning asked. "Well, not really. I try not to fly in honezty..." Toni replied. Just then, he got a call, his phone started ringing. "It's James.." he stated, accepting the call.

"Ahhhh, Vitesse, so nice to see you again! I just wanted to check how you were getting on" James spoke from the other end.

"Ahhaahaaa...well, iz not so bad. We're in a very classy hotel now!"

"Ohh really? Good for you ol' boy! I take it everything is going accordingly?"

"Well...ma, I guess you can zay that..."

"Wonderful! Me and the rest will see you tomorrow! I must be heading off now, Agent Shiftwell wants me for something! Ta ta!"

...

James hung up. Toni put the phone away and focused back to Lightning again. "You look very wound up Toni. What's wrong?" Lightning asked, a bit concerned. "Well, Fenderson is the only one who respects moi. If I screw this up, I won't have a friend in CHROME..." Toni answered. "Aww don't worry about it dude, WE are the ones doing the racing" Lightning reassured him. "Here, it's very hot today, lemme get ya something" Lightning offered, and he went into one of the shops. Toni waited outside for a few minutes, allowing the cool sea breeze fills his lungs and relax him a little. McQueen soon came out with two ice creams. He gave one to Toni and they got talking and strolling along the coastal streets again.

Meanwhile, back at the beach, everyone was doing their own thing. Rip was frisking about in the shallow waves, weaving in and out to see if the tides could catch him. Carla was baking in the sun with a foil reflector held up to absorb as much sunshine as possible, and Shu was next to her in a state of relaxation. Jeff, Nigel and Lewis were occupying the snack bar as usual while Miguel was being a bit of a show off to the ladies, flexing and showing off his moves. Raoul was nowhere to be found. Mater was really enjoying himself too, chasing miniature sea-planes and splashing about in the sea. Then, he just thought of a really cool trick. He grabbed a bucket, filled it up with cold, sea water, sneaked quietly up to Carla, and then proceeded to pour it all over her while she was sleeping. "AAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOWWWW!" shrieked Carla, as she flopped about like a fish out of water. The scream woke Shu up, who saw Mater, once again, splitting his sides with laughter. Then he saw Carla all soaked. "Kami! Get away from her!" Shu growled. Carla rose on her axles, threateningly. "Ohhh I swear your back bumper is mine someday!" she snarled. "Awww lighten' up lil' lady! Its jusht a bit o' fun!" he retorted. "It may be fun for you but it's not fun for me. I mean WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" she hissed. She then reached into her beach bag to pull out a spare, dry towel. "Go away!" she snapped. Mater ran as fast as he could away from Shu and Carla, and then decided to treat himself to an ice cream.

Meanwhile, Rip, who had finally settled down, was watching the waves intensely from the shoreline. This raised a few of his friends's curiousity. "Hey, why is Rip staring at the sea in such an intenseful manner? Is he scared to touch the water now after... you know..." asked Lewis. Miguel went over to check up on Rip. "Hola Rip, qué estás haciendo?" he asked Rip. Suddenly, a fuzzy, blue, white and red blur blitzed across the ocean horizon at a tremendous speed. This caught a few others's attention, especially the tourists playing in the sea. All of a sudden, a big, massive wave began to rise from the ocean. Immediately, everyone panicked and took shelter since they assumed massive waves could only mean one thing; destruction.

But hang on… Who's that riding on a surfboard on top of the wave? As everybody zoomed in on the "thing" riding the wave, it turned out to be Raoul CaRoule on a red, blue and white surfboard. The huge wave headed towards the beach, and Lightning's friends continued to watch in fear. While Raoul was riding the wave, he pulled off some cool stunts, such as his one, famous trick that nobody else could seem to do: balancing on the two wheels on his left-hand side, while riding a surfboard. They all watched in awe and fascination, as the wave began to peel and wash over. Raoul successfully managed to "ride inside the tube" and got out with hardly a drop of water on him. Then the wave died down before it hit the shore, as Raoul hovered over the water and onto the sand, much to the relief of the many citizens.

Every one of Lightning's friends madly cheered and whistled, while a few random girl cars who saw Raoul conquer the monster tide, gasped and then sighed with lust. Carla, who too was watching him, was especially impressed. "Wow man! Do you need a wheelbarrow for them ball bearings of steel you got on you?" Lewis remarked, making a few people laugh. Raoul blushed. "Hohoh Lewie please" he giggled. Just then, Lightning and Toni finally came back from their little walk and witnessed the crowd gathering around Raoul...


End file.
